"How did you catch the general?" Kiisan asked curiously. It had seemed to him not long ago as if the battle inside the city walls was only just about to begin and now one of the enemy commanders was in their hands.
"Ask Han Li," Tej shrugged, "I wasn't there and his explanation didn't make much sense to me anyway." The tan general sat down upon a stack of captured weapons and crossed his arms.
Kiisan made his way amidst the troops, who all appeared to be either resting from the battle or preparing to take part in it again. Han Li stood tall enough that at least the top of his topknot ponytail would be visible over the heads of most of the soldiers, Kiisan thought. The revolutionary leader stood on tiptoe to get a better view and caught a glimpse of the wind mage's short ponytail flipping up and down as he headed to the western part of the encampment. Kiisan squeezed his way past a crowd of lolly-gaggers and nearly fell on his face tripping on a spear as he hurried to catch up with the older man.
"Han Li!" he called as he grew nearer, "Wait up, will ya!"
The True Rune bearer stopped and brushed some dust off his shoulder before turning to meet Kiisan, "What do you want?"
"I heard you caught General Ando!" the young man said eagerly, "Did you do it all by yourself? How'd it happen? I'd love to hear about it."
Han Li's oddly colored eyes darted about mischievously and he leaned down to whisper in Kiisan's ear, putting his arm around the priest's shoulders to pull him in closer, "Oh, you would, eh? Well, I'll tell you then. It was actually quite simple. I rounded a corner quickly. I was leading along Sonoa and Astel and a few of the others, but with some distance between us so I could check for any danger up ahead. The general was unaware of how close we had come to his position because unless you come out into the square you're walking in a veritable labyrinth in this city. I took my opportunity. I sprang forward, my dirk in my hand. Two officers stood in front of him- one took my dirk in his side and the other, my fist in his face. The general was quite shocked of course and as he reached for his sword, I used all the momentum I had gathered to jump up and kick him in the face. He was knocked flat. After that I merely called up a breeze to carry him back here."
Kiisan squinted in puzzlement. As strange as it was, the story seemed to add up. He wondered what General Tej had found so confusing about it. "You had a breeze carry him back for you?" Kiisan asked for clarification, "So you mean you came back with him floating in the air beside you?"
"Well, something like that..." Han Li shrugged. It was nothing special to him.
"Oh, I get it..." the priest muttered, suddenly realizing what part of the story was unusual to General K'aan.
Murasaki Fuji no Shita ni Kuni
"The Country Under the Purple Wisteria"
Chapter 84- Brave Eyes and Fortunes of the Sun
"We're surrounded even closer now," Takauka remarked to his companion. The two priests sat side by side on a stone bench in the garden. The cold breeze ruffled their robes.
"The Devouring Wind, the Crying Fire, the Stalwart Earth, the Golden Beast, the Great Change, and the Circle, That-Which-Encompasses-All," Hiiragi numbered them off, one by one, counting on his fingers, "Six. Didn't you predict two years ago that the chances of them all coming together for such an event were quite high?"
"Well, that might be so," Takauka mumbled, "But that was two years ago and the signs were not so strong then. Besides- they might've been contemplating coming at that point and then decided against it."
"Excuses, excuses," Hiiragi teased.
His companion waved a hand dismissively, "Enough about that. The things that have happened have happened, regardless of signs or portents."
Hiiragi did not stop grinning. His white teeth shone. As he tipped his head back and began to laugh a sudden gust of air blew his white veil away towards the palace. "Oh my!" he exclaimed, jumping up to run after it. Takauka stifled a laugh of his own and slowly rose to follow.
The piece of cloth was swept through the doorway, where it landed at the feet of a hazel-eyed young man. He leaned down and picked it up, a playful smile lighting up his face. He eyed the cloth thoughtfully, turning it about and dusting it off.
Takauka and Hiiragi stopped where they stood as the younger man approached. He held out the cloth with a sincere look on his bright face. Hiiragi took back his headdress cautiously.
"His twin in the spirit," Takauka noted, nodding at the hazel-eyed man.
"I've never seen your entire face before, Honorable Hiiragi," the newcomer realized. Of course, following this admission, Hiiragi tried harder than before to fix the cloth so it hung over his eyes. "To think that you have sky blue eyes," the younger man said in wonder, "I never would've guessed."
"His brilliance is overwhelming," Takauka added to his examination of the young man, "The sun and moon are reflected in his eyes."
"That's right!" Hiiragi agreed, as if suddenly recalling a fact long forgotten, "He has the Sun!" He turned to the one who had never left the doorway, "Could you please take your light elsewhere? It's clouding our visions and at this point there is finally much to see."
He hung his head and turned away while Takauka and Hiiragi watched. The air felt a bit more chill as he took his first step in the opposite direction. "You know," Takauka called out as he departed, "We don't mean it personally! I hope you won't take any offense over it!"
"No," he murmured in reply as he sadly drifted away, "I wouldn't dream of it."
Sasshalai sat on the steps with Ariella and Liana, waiting as Adeline, for that was the widow's name, placed a last few items into her bag. It took her only a few moments. "There is little worth preserving," she explained to the boy as they headed out of the house, "I don't care so much what happens to the place. We're all safe, at least for now."
"All three of you will be just fine," Sasshalai assured them as they walked along the cobblestone back the way he had come.
Adeline paused. She could hear some of the sounds of battle echoing around the buildings, "Are you sure this is the right way? I think the rebels are holding this end of the city..."
"That's true," he admitted, "But they won't harm you. Big Brother is in charge and he's a gentle and respectful person. The priests there will look after you."
"So, you're a little rebel as well, Sassha?" she inquired.
"Think of me as a friend. I am the comrade of many. Where I come from, all are my friends. The rebels have become my friends as well. In the end I think it will be better for you to be here with them," the boy from Klikk explained.
"You seem very trustworthy..." she added, "It's just that my husband was an Imperial soldier, so..."
"Your husband did not die fighting revolutionaries," Sasshalai noted, looking back over his shoulder to face Adeline, "He died of an illness that ate away at him from the inside. He could not hold out against it any longer. I was only a coincidence that he was a straggler traveling home from battle, separated from his troop."
"So those noisy rebels aren't bad people?" Liana asked for clarification.
"There aren't many all good or all bad people anywhere," Sasshalai told the little girl, "But no, they aren't any enemies of yours."
Liana giggled and held tighter to her mother's hand, "I'm glad. Their fireworks are so pretty!"
After several close calls as she sharply rounded corners and many frantic calls of, "Don't fire!" Kira had finally made her way to her uncle's side. Mitsu, while quite pleased to be reunited with his beloved niece, was also slightly worried upon her arrival.
"Are you sure it was safe to leave your mother alone in the middle of all of this?" he asked Kira, hoping for some slight reassurance.
"Well, Uncle Mitsu," she mumbled, scuffling her feet, "Mother didn't exactly want me to go, but she didn't know you were here. It would've been different if she'd realized I was coming to see you. ...I mean, you've got to know that she wasn't upset 'cause she was worried about herself or anything! She was worried something would happen to me!"
Mitsu sighed, "You must learn not to be so reckless. To let others know about your plans as well before you act upon them."
"I don't think you should be the one teaching that lesson," Sanada laughed, recalling Mitsu's bait for Kiyon. Mio laughed into his handkerchief.
"Lady Sanada, maybe you'll have to help both of us with that one," Kira grinned.
With Sanada and Mitsu as instructors, Mio thought, Kira Riyahd could have quite a future laid out in front of her...